Senator Henry Seriake Dickson, National Leader of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), has hosted leaders, founding members, former officials and associates of the old Alliance for Democracy (AD) at a reunion in Abuja.
The gathering brought together prominent figures who played key roles in the democratic struggle of the late 1990s and contributed to the foundation of Nigeria’s current democratic dispensation.
Dickson, who served as the founding State Chairman of the AD and later became its National Legal Adviser, said the reunion provided an opportunity for former colleagues to reconnect and reflect on their shared political history.
Among those who attended were Chief Michael Odurinde, one of the founding fathers of the AD; Prof. Udenta Udenta, the party’s founding National Secretary; and Dr. Manzo Abubakar, former Protem National Publicity Secretary and leader of the party’s Northern Caucus.
According to Dickson, the AD was an ideological and principled political organisation whose members were driven by strong convictions about democracy and governance.
He said his experience in the AD, alongside his involvement in the Ijaw and Niger Delta movements, helped shape his political philosophy and taught him the importance of organising people and groups.
Dickson said those experiences also prepared him for a career in principled opposition politics, which he noted he had continued through his involvement in the NDC.
“We were delighted to relive old times and share memories of our collective efforts to lay the foundation of Nigeria’s democracy,” Dickson said.
The former Bayelsa State governor said the reunion also honoured the memory of members and leaders of the old AD who had passed away, with participants observing a minute of silence in their remembrance.
He expressed appreciation to all those who honoured the invitation, describing the gathering as long overdue.
Dickson said the participants agreed to reconvene and establish a more regular means of communication among members of the old political family.
He added that the organising committee would work out modalities for future meetings to ensure that those who were unable to attend the Abuja reunion, particularly those who received short notice, would have an opportunity to participate.
The NDC leader thanked the participants for attending and wished them safe journeys back to their respective destinations.
Speaking to journalists on the sideline of the reunion, Prof. Udenta Udenta, said that almost a generation after, surviving members of the Old Guard, are gathered at the home of Senator Seriake Dickson, a founding ideologue of the AD, to reminisce over the years and decade gone bye to ask questions about where Nigerians democracy is today.
He said they where gathered to establish the fact that the current conversation about Nigeria’s democracy will not be complete without the input of the AD founding members alive today and that Nigerians will definitely hear more from this group.
